Course Syllabus

MATH 1030 Quantitative Literacy

Course Description

Quantitative Literacy is about viewing Mathematics from a countable, predictable, and creative standpoint. We learn how and where we find geometry, pattern, logic, cryptography and statistics in our natural world and in society. The discoveries are made using a little bit of algebra, art, trigonometry and other skills to critically process the concepts in the course.

This course is designed for students seeking an AA or non-stem AS degree. Math 1030 is not a prerequisite for Math 1040, 1050 or 1060.

Justification

This course accomplishes the objectives of the Quantitative Literacy requirement in the State of Utah and is an option for students seeking to fulfill the mathematics requirement for an AA or AS degree. Through an agreement with USHE, this course is equivalent to the Quantitative Literacy course at all state institutions and carries the same prefix and number.

General Education Outcomes

1. A student who completes the GE curriculum has a fundamental knowledge of human cultures and the natural world. This course, more than any other in the department allows students to explore both familiar and unfamiliar branches of math connect them to patterns in the natural world and processes in society. One example includes the Fibonacci sequence and its relation to spiral growth of many things from seashells to pinecones and broccoli to ferns. Another is the relation between topology, graph theory and game theory and their uses in CGI technology for movies and video games. The ability to explain how mathematics is found in nature and society will be assessed through homework, exams, quizzes, student projects and/or presentations.
2. A student who completes the GE curriculum can read and research effectively within disciplines. This course allows students to not just solve equations and use numbers but explore math ideas and theorems in history, politics, art and other areas through websites, texts including the course textbook and other forms of research. They are then asked to explain what they have learned in their homework, exams, quizzes, projects and/or presentations.
3. A student who completes the GE curriculum can draw from multiple disciplines to address complex problems. Different facets of the course ask students to explore how math relates to things like computer science, banking, the statistics used in sports journalism and psychology, politics and voting theory and many more. Complex situations from these and other subjects are assessed through exams, quizzes, projects, and/or presentations.
4. A student who completes the GE curriculum can reason analytically, critically, and creatively. Students are asked to use analytical and critical thinking in this course as they are presented with problems in homework, exams and quizzes that ask for students to interpret information and then decide which of the concepts learned in class relates best to the question at hand. They are also asked to explain their reasoning as to how they came to their conclusions. There is not always one “right answer” to the problem. Other assignments are opportunities to take what they have learned in class and either on their own or in groups create projects and presentations that may include videos, art, computer programs, songs, poetry and more. As stated above, these abilities are assessed through exams, quizzes, projects, and/or presentations.
5. A student who completes the GE curriculum can reason quantitatively.  The course contains plenty of numbers, graphs and huge mathematical ideas. Students grapple with numbers in voting theory, the Pigeon- hole principle, Knot theory, the intricacies and patterns of the Fibonacci sequence and many others allow students to ponder, think about and create new patterns inside the world of quantitative reasoning. This reasoning is assessed through exams, quizzes, projects, and/or presentations.

General Education Knowledge Area Outcomes

1. Students will be able to interpret various graphs, diagrams, equations, tables, etc. and use them to draw quantitative conclusions about questions in the course as well as explain their reasoning. This outcome will be assessed through homework, exams, quizzes and/or student projects and presentations. Students will be able to interpret various graphs, diagrams, equations, tables, etc. and use them to draw quantitative conclusions about questions in the course as well as explain their reasoning. This outcome will be assessed through homework, exams, quizzes and/or student projects and presentations.
2. Convert relevant information into various mathematical forms (e.g., equations, graphs, diagrams, and tables). Students will be able to make and interpret various graphs and charts. This outcome will be assessed through homework, exams, quizzes, presentations and/or projects.
3. Demonstrate the ability to successfully complete basic calculations to solve problems. Students will be able to perform basic calculations to solve problems. While this course uses very little algebra, several other branches of mathematics discussed in this course also require calculations. This outcome will be assessed through homework, exams, quizzes and/or student projects and presentations.
4. Demonstrate the ability to problem solve using quantitative literacy across multiple disciplines. Make judgments and draw appropriate conclusions based on quantitative analysis of data, recognizing the limits of this analysis. This course can span concepts across mathematics, economics, politics, history and many other disciplines. In the course of their mathematical explorations, students will demonstrate their problem-solving (making judgements and evaluating their conclusions) through homework, exams, quizzes and/or student projects and presentations.
5.  Students will provide quantitative evidence for their answers/conclusions by showing their calculations and using graphs, charts, tables and drawings. This outcome will be assessed through homework, exams, quizzes and/or student projects and presentations.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Constructing quantitative, logical arguments.
2. Understanding and using mathematics as a language to communicate
3. Exploring and analyzing mathematical concepts using technology as appropriate.
4. Estimating, reasoning through and making sense of mathematical processes and results.

Course Content

This course may include any of the following:Game-theory, problem-solving, critical thinking and logicCounting, patterns in nature, primes, modular arithmetic, cryptology and setsInfinity with multiple contextsTrigonometry, the golden ration, symmetry, non-Euclidian geometry and dimensionsTopologyGraph theory, Euler circuits, Hamiltonian circuits and networkingFractals, Julia sets and the Mandelbrot setProbabilityStatisticsRisk, money and votingThis course supports a learning environment where all perspectives are recognized, respected and encouraged through readings, projects and/or presentations. Students are invited to explore additional concepts in their projects and present them in a way that they find most interesting and most relatable. They are also assigned to multiple groups over the course of the semester where they can share their perspectives and learn from others perspectives and life experiences.